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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. spell — magic
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. bank — for money
  6. perch — the fish
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. rash — a series
  9. field — farmland
  10. bank — of a river
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. squash — the sport
  13. spell — letters
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. spell — a short time
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. wax — to grow
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. bank — for money
  20. rash — hasty
  21. squash — to crush
  22. field — a subject
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com